Live tank high voltage gas circuit breaker

ABSTRACT

A high voltage gas blast circuit breaker wherein a relatively low-pressure chamber containing interrupter structures is mounted on a smaller relatively high-pressure chamber. The high- and lowpressure chambers are connected to one another through a valve which is mechanically connected to the interrupter contacts. The interrupter chambers may be colinear, or may be arranged in a Vtype configuration to conserve lateral space for the low-pressure tank. The interrupters are arranged together as a three-phase interrupter with supporting insulator columns and bracing insulator columns transmitting gas and operating movement from ground positions.

United States Patent [72] inventor Daniel II. McKeough Pasadena, Calif.

[21] Appl. No. 752,959

[22] Filed Aug. 15, 1968 [45] Patented Apr. 6, 1971 [73] Assignee I-T-E Imperial Corporation Philadelphia, Pa.

[541 LIVE TANK IIIGII VOLTAGE GAS CIRCUIT BREAKER 6 Claims, 18 Drawing Figs.

[52] [1.8. CI. 200/148, 200/148, 200/145 [51] Int. Cl. II0lh 33/80 [50] Field ol'Search 200/148, 148.2,148.4,148.5,148.7, 145

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,189,718 6/1965 Tominaga 200/148(.2)

3,275,778 9/1966- Morioka..... ZOO/148(2) 3,290,469 12/ 1966 Leeds 200/148 3,436,505 4/1969 McKeough 200/148 3 ,441 ,692 4/1969 Cromer et al ZOO/148 Primary Examiner-Robert S. Macon Attorney-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerg & Soffen ABSTRACT: A high voltage gas blast circuit breaker wherein a relatively low-pressure chamber containing interrupter structures is mounted on a smaller relatively high-pressure chamber. The highand low-pressure chambers are connected to one another through a valve which is mechanically connected to the interrupter contacts. The interrupter chambers may be colinear, or may be arranged in a V-type configuration to conserve lateral space for the low-pressure tank. The interrupters are arranged together as a three-phase interrupter with supporting insulator columns and bracing insulator columns transmitting gas and operating movement from ground positions.

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LIVE TANK I'IIGII VOLTAGE GAS CIRCUIT BREAKER RELATED APPLICATIONS This invention is an improvement of the device shown in my copending Ser. No. 547,621, filed May 4, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,505, entitled Slide Valve for Gas Blast Breakers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to high voltage gas blast circuit breakers, and more particularly relates to a novel arrangement.

of high and low-pressure tanks for a live tank gas breaker.

In the past, live tank compressed-gas circuit breakers of the type which have their blast valves mounted in the live tank have operated the blast valves either by means of a pilot servovalve located close to the blast valve or a mechanical train employing cams, latches, rollers, pawls or other similar devices, all of which introduce a certain complexity with the resultant hazard of maloperation.

In accordance with the invention, one high-pressure gas storage tank with one blast valve located on the upstream side of the contacts is provided with two moving contact assemblies for each blast valve. This gives appreciably more interrupting capability per tank, with flow conditions balanced to each set of contacts. For a novel arrangement of this type inside a cylindrical tank, a colinear contact design is preferred, keeping mechanical motions opposite and equal to balance forces resulting from the high contact accelerations associated with two and three-cycle interrupting times. In addition, very short, large diameter flow passages betweenblast valve and contacts are provided to get maximum interrupting performance.

For circular tanks of elliptical section or spherical tanks, a Y-shaped contact arrangement is provided, using the same principles outlined above.

Furthermore, during arcing, the high pressure gas must be directed through the arcing space by a solid member, which, for the configuration described above, is of insulating material. However, this insulation may be contaminated by the heat of the arc, or the are products, which may lower the insulation strength across the contacts when the breaker is standing in the open position. In accordance with the invention, the solid member is kept in the arcing position until after the moving contact has retracted to the fully open position and sufficient time has elapsed to assure complete arc extinction. The solid member is then moved'to another position so that an open gap is achieved with no risk of contaminated solid insulation reducing the insulation level.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a novel configuration for live tank, gas-blast circuit breakers which have extended voltage capability.

Another object of this invention is to provide anovel configuration for high voltage circuit breakers which is mechanically simple and reliable.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 schematically shows the general organization of high-pressure tank, low-pressure tank, and series connected interrupters, as shown in copending application Ser. No. 547,621, now Pat. No. 3,436,505.

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the valve and operating mechanism which are schematically shown in FIG. 1, and which is disclosed in copending Ser. No. 547,621 now US. Pat. No. 3,436,505.

FIG. 3 shows one of the contact assemblies operated by the mechanism of FIG. 2, with the left end of FIG. 3 connectable directly-to the upper left end of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the operating rod of FIG. 2 withthe sleeve valve attached thereto.

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of FIG. 4 taken across line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross section view of FIG. 4 taken across line in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the valve housing of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a cross section view of FIG. 7 taken across line 8-8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectionof FIG. 8 taken across line 9-9 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross section view of FIG. 9 taken across line 10-10 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the support sleeve of FIG. 2 which carries a scissors-operating linkage for operating two separate contact assemblies.

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of the subassembly of FIG. 11, and schematically illustrates two identical contact assemblies.

FIG. 13 is a side view of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 schematically shows the manner in which the arrangement of FIG. I is modified in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an end plan view of interrupters of the type shown in FIG. 14 mounted in a three-phase arrangement.

FIG. 16 is a front plan view of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a partial top plan view of FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 14 which shows the V-shaped disposition of interrupters in the low-pressure tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring first to FIG. I, there is schematically illustrated one pole of a live tank power circuit breaker which can incorporate the structure of the invention. The device and the structure of FIGS. 2 to 13 are shown in copending Ser. No.

547,621, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,505. The complete pole of the circuit breaker, of course, must include an insulating support column, and also insulating members to connect the operating mechanism and the high-pressure supply from ground potential to the live tank assembly. This structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. Clearly, however, the invention could be applied to grounded tank devices. In the. case of dead tank application, the device of FIG. 1 would be useful for interruption of circuits having voltages up to 230 kilovolts, and for live tank application for voltages up to 700 kilovolts.

The device of FIG. 1 includes a main tank 20 at low-pressure which receives two insulator bushings, schematically shown as bushings 21 and 22 which pass conductors 23 and 24, respectively, from terminals 25 and 26, respectively, to stationary contacts 27 and 28, respectively. Stationary contacts 27 and 28 are contained within identical interrupter chambers 29 and 30, respectively, which will later be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. lnterrupter chambers 29 and 30 contain moving contacts 31. and 32, respectively, which are connected by sliding contacts 33 and 34, respectively, to a common conductive housing 35. The housing 35 and thus interrupter structures 29 and 30 are mounted on high'pressure container 36, the interior of which is connected to a suitable supply 37 of any desired gas such as SF which could be located externally of tank 20.

The interior of high-pressure container 36 is then connected to the low-pressure interior of interrupter chambers 29 and 30 by blast valve 38, which is later described in detail in FIG. 2; whereby a blast of high dielectric fluid is passed between contacts 2731 and 28-32 when these contacts close or open. In order to conserve the high-pressure gas of tank 36, it is necessary to stop this gas flow as soon as the contacts have successfully opened or closed the circuit between terminals 25 and 26, as will be described.

An operating mechanism 39, schematically shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1, is then connected to movable contacts 31 and 32, and to blast valve 38, whereby opening and closing of blast valve 38 is coordinated with the operation of the contacts3land 32. sir I Note that while the following description presumes two identical series connected interrupter assemblies, or breaks, portions of the device described are suitable for use with a single break or any desired number of breaks.

Referring next to FIG.' 2, there is illustrated, in sectional view, the valve structure along with the high-pressure chamber and portions of the operating mechanism referred to in FIG. 1. Thus, high-pressure tank 36 of FIG. 2 carries the valve assembly 38 which is controlled by an operating mechanism including rod 50.

High-pressure tank 36 is mounted on the bottom of lowpressure tank 20 through the boss 52 welded in an opening of low-pressure tank 20 and a boss 53 welded into an opening in the bottom of high-pressure tank 36. A sea] formed by gasket 54 held in position around rod 50 by plate 55 bolted to boss 53 prevents leakage from high-pressure tank along rod 50.

Rod 50 is then moved between its upper most position, shown in FIG. 2, to a lower position, shown in dotted lines 50a by an operating crank 56 which is operated by any suitable mechanism. Crank 56 is pivoted on a fixed pivot 57 and is pivotally connected to the bifurcated end of rod 50 by pivot pin 58. The uppermost position of rod 50 corresponds to a contact engaged position for the circuit breaker contacts, and its lower position of dotted lines 50a corresponds to the contact disengaged position for the contacts.

The top of high-pressure tank 36 is then provided with an opening therein which has a boss 60 welded thereto. If desired, a support plate 61 suitably secured within low-pressure tank 20 can be welded to boss 60, as shown, to provide additional support for high-pressure tank 36. The conductive housing casting 6 having diametrically opposed outlets 64 and 65 of symmetric construction and leading to respective and identical interrupter structures are then bolted to boss 60. Note that a sleeve 66 is interposed between casting 63 and boss 60. Suitable sealing gaskets 67 and 68 are provided between members 60 and 63 to prevent leakage from highpressure tank 36.

Valve 38 of FIG. 2 is composed of a cast housing section 70, best shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10. Referring to these FIGS. along with FIG. 2, the valve body 70 is provided with upper extending ears around its periphery such as cars 71, 72, 73 and 74 (FIG. 7) which have tapped openings therein, as shown by openings 75 and 76 in cars 71 and 74 in FIG. 8. The valve body 38 is secured to sleeve 66 and thus boss 60 through suitable countersunk bolts, such as bolts 77 and 78 which pass through sleeve 60 and into the various ears 71 through 74 of body 70.

The central portion of body 70 is then tapered down into cylindrical section 70 having a groove 81 (FIG. 8) which receives a seal 82 (FIG. 2) which carries the highly polished outer surface of valve sleeve 83, as will be later described. The lower portion of body 70 contains suitable vents such as vents 84 through 93 which communicate between the high-pressure chamber 36 and the interior of valve housing 70. The bottom of housing 70 has a flange 94 (FIG. 9) which has tapped openings therethrough to permit the bolting of a bottom valve cap 95 thereto, as will be described later.

An upper central portion of body 70 has radial arms 96 through 103 extending inwardly from its interior which are welded to disc 104. Note that arms 96 through 103 are streamlined, as shown in FIG. 10, to permit passage of fast-moving high-pressure gas therethrough. Disc 104 serves as a support for upper valve seal 105 which is clamped in position by clamp 106 (FIG. 2) which is bolted to disc 104, as shown.

The lower cap 95 bolted to flange 94 is of construction similar to that of the upper disc 104 and includes a lower disc 107 which carries the lower seal 108 which is clamped to disc 107 by clamp 109 which is bolted to disc 107. Disc 107 is then provided with suitable openings such as openings 110 and 111 which permit flow of gas from high-pressure tank 36 through the center of body 70 in parallel with gas flow through vents 84 through 93.

Upper and lower seals and 108, respectively, serve to seal the upper and lower rims of sleeve 83 when it is in its upper or lower position, respectively. The sleeve valve 83 and its support structure is shown in FIG. 2 and in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Referring to these FIGS, the sleeve 83 is shown as attached to a central hub (FIGS. 2, 5 and 6) by radiating spokes 121 through 127. Spokes 121 through 127 are preferably streamlined in section, as shown for the spokes of valve body 70 in FIG. 10. I-Iub 120 is then connected to rod 50 by a jamming nut 128 threaded on threads 129 which jams the upper end of hub 120 against shoulder 130 of rod 50. Thus, sleeve 83 will move along with rod 50 as rod 50 is moved between its solid and dotted line positions of FIG. 2.

The upper end of rod 50 is then rigidly connected to a guide sleeve having a hub 131 having extending arms 132 and 133 (FIG. 11) which ride in keyways in sleeve 134 which is clamped between members 63 and 70. This prevents rotation of rod 50 as it moves up and down.

As previously mentioned, the outer surface of sleeve 80,

which is of any suitable metal is highly polished. The sleeve 83 is then able to move without high frictional drag with respect to seal 82 of FIG. 2 which tightly grips the outer diameter of sleeve 83 to prevent leakage of gas from chamber 36 upwardly through the valve body when sleeve 83 engages upper or lower seals 105 or 108, respectively.

From the foregoing, it is seen that movement of rod 50 will control the movement of the sleeve valve 83 between sealing engagement with seals 105 and 108, respectively. As will be later described, while sleeve 83 is in transit between these positions, gas can flow from high-pressure tank 36 through vents 8l93 and vents 110 and 111, and through the center of sleeve 83 toward channels 64 and 65 leading to the interrupter chambers. In addition to this function, rod 50 controls the movement of the contacts of the interrupter structures so the gas blast action can be coordinated with the operation of the contacts.

The rod 50 is connected to a novel scissors-type linkage to permit simultaneous operation of two identical contact assemblies, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIGS. 11, 12 and 13. Referring to these FIGS. the sleeve 134 is provided with two bosses and 151 (FIG. 11) which carry pivot pins 152 and 153, respectively. Pins 152 and 153 are then connected to cranks 154 and 155, respectively, (FIG. 12) which carry cam slots 156 and 157, respectively. Cam slots 156 and 157 then receive suitable roller means extending from pin 158 (FIGS. 2, 12 and 13) fastened to the top of rod 50. The upper ends of cranks 154 and are then connected to suitable output shafts, schematically illustrated by dotted lines 160 and 161 for cranks 154 and 155, respectively, which are connected to movable contacts 31 and 32 (FIGS. 1 and 12) which cooperate with stationary contacts 27 and 28, respectively. The scissors linkage operates such that when rod 50 moves down, pin 158 (or its equivalent rollers) ride down the cam slots 156 and 157 to rotate crank 154 clockwise and crank 155 counterclockwise. This motion is transmitted to linkages 160 and 161 to open the contacts connected thereto. The reverse operation occurs when rod 50 is moved up to reclose the contacts. A typical connecting link extending from cranks 154 and 155 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for crank 154 as the link 170, which is pivotally connected to the top of crank 154.

FIG. 3 illustrates a typical interrupter structure which could be driven by the mechanism of FIG. 2 for the case of the lefthand unit (unit 29 of FIG. 1). Clearly, a second and identical unit would be used for the right-hand interrupter which would also be mounted on the device of FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 3, its relation of FIG. 2 can be established by noting the locations of rod 50, channel 64 in casting 63 and link 170. The left-hand end of link is connected to hollow movable contact tube 200 by a pin 201 extending from link 170 to tube 200.

The left-hand end of movable contact tube 200 then carries a similar array of contact fingers such as contact fingers 220 and 221 which are of standard construction. Inwardly biased contacts 222 an 223 of fingers 220 and 221, respectively, are secured to tube 200 and overhang the left-hand end thereof. These contact fingers engage the end of hollow stationary contact tube 230 which terminates in a threaded opening 231 which is connectable to the end of the insulation bushing extending through the walls of the low-pressure tank 20. A lining arcing material 232 coats the interior of tube 230 and is especially adapted to withstand arcing to the stationary contact tube 230. Note that tube 230 will have vents 233 communicating with the interior of low-pressure tank 20. An arcing contact tip 240 is threaded into the end of tube 200 with arcs extending between racing tip 240 and lining 232 when the contacts move between engagement and disengagement.

A baffle 250 is thenprovided to form an orifice about the cooperating contacts to direct gas from tank 36 between the contacts when they disengage. This baffle is formed of a first section 251 which is of a suitable arc-resistant material such as one of the fluoride compounds such as Teflon which has an opening 252 surrounding tube 230 adjacent the point of engagement by contact fingers 221 and 222. Section 251 is then threaded into engagement with conductive section 253 at thread 254 which has an inwardly turned end 255. End 255 telescopes over casting 63 and a compression spring 256 is captured betweenend 255 and a retaining plate 257 which is bolted to the end of casting 63. The baffle 250 is then held in position by the action of spring 256 and by projections such as projections 260 and 261 on contacts 222 and 223 which engage the left-hand inner surface of insulation section 251. Additional guide means could be used to position baffle 250 coaxially with tube 200.

The baffle 250 functions to lead high-pressure gas through the annular region surrounding tube 200, and through the annular region between the encircling contact fingers such as fingers 220 and 221 and contact tube 230 and through the interior of tube 230 to discharge pots 233. During contact disengagement, movable tube 200 moves to the right, and an arc is drawn which is extinguished by the high-pressure gas flowing through the arc. During this time, the high-pressure gas holds baffle 250 in the position shown, against the biasing action of spring 256 since the internal area of the inwardly turned left hand section of member 251 is greater than the internal area of section 255. However, after the arc is extinguished and the pressure on the interior and exterior of baffle 251 equalizes, spring 256 moves baffle 250 to the right and to the dotted line position until it reaches projections 260 and 261 which stop its motion. During reclosing, the high-pressure gas on the interior of baffle 250 will cause bafile 250 to move ahead of tube 200 in the closing motion so that the baffle will be in a suitable gas deflecting position by the time there is a prestrike of the closing contacts.

By virtue of this operation, insulation section is removed from the highly electrically stressed region between the open contacts while the breaker is standing in its open position. This is advantageous since it is generally undesirable to have solid insulating materials stressed continuously, particularly when they have been exposed to arc products and may have been contaminated during the interrupting process.

The operation of the entire system is as follows, assuming the circuit breaker is closed (as shown in the drawings) and is to be opened:

To open the breaker, crank 56 of FIG. 2 is rotated clockwise by some suitable operating mechanism. This motion moves rod 50 downwardly, thus opening the blast valve and starting the motion of the movable contacts. First considering the operation of the blast valve 38, the downward movement of sleeve 83 breaks its seal at seal 105. Therefore, high-pressure gas will flow from tank 36, through vents such as vents 88, 93, 107 and 111 in FIG. 2, through the interior of sleeve 83, through sleeve 134 and into channels 64 and 65 leading to the two interrupters. Note that the only force due to differential pressure across sleeve 83 is the small force related to the small area presented by the sleeve end. Therefore, high accelerations of the relatively low mass movable assembly is possible with reasonable forces applied to crank 56. Note that there are relatively low frictional forces on the sleeve due to its engagement by seal 82.

Gas flow through the valve will continue until the sleeve 83 seats on sea] 108 to cut off further gas flow to channels 64 and 65. However, by this time, the contacts have completely separated and arcing is extinguished.

While the valve 83 is open, the rod 50 causes cranks 154 and 155 to rotate, thereby to withdraw their respective movable contacts from the engaged position. Thus, in FIGS. 2 and 3, crank 154 rotates clockwise to move link and contact tube 200 to the right. However, gas pressure, released by the blast valve 38, has filled baffle 250 with high-pressure gas before contact fingers 220 and 221 leave stationary contact 230. Therefore, when these contacts separate, they do so in a highpressure environment followed by an immediate blast through the arcing space. Note that the early buildup of pressure within baffle 250 will keep the baffle in its desired position shown against the force of spring 256.

Once the sleeve 86 engages seal 108, gas flow is cutoff and the movable contact tube is in its fully withdrawn position. The pressure within baffle 250 will finally equalize to the external pressure so that baffle 250 will be withdrawn to a retracted position by spring 256 where it is removed from the high stresses at the stationary contact 230.

In order to close the circuit breaker, crank 56 of FIG. 2 is rotated counterclockwise to move sleeve valve 83 up and away from seal 108. This causes contact tube 200 to move toward its engaged position, and opens the blast valve 38. The application of gas pressure to baffle 250 then causes it to move to the left in advance of contact tube 200 so that baffle 200 is in position before the contacts reach prestrike position. Once the contacts are sufficiently close, they begin to arc (prestrike), but in the presence of the high-pressure dielectric gas blast defined by baffle 250 and opened blast valve 38. Once the contacts seat, sleeve 83 reaches-seal 105 to extinguish the gas flow, with baffle 250 held in position by projections 260 and 261, until the breaker is to be opened again.

THE INVENTION FIG. 14 shows the manner in which the essential components of FIGS. 1 to 13 can be disposed in accordance with the invention. Components of FIG. 14 similar to those of FIG. 1 are given similar identifying numerals. The essential difference between FIGS. 1 and 14 is that the high-pressure tank 36 is located external of low-pressure tank 20. Therefore, the high-pressure tank is directly connected to the source of highpressure gas 37. Moreover, the high-pressure tank 36 now serves as a main support for the low-pressure tank 20, with boss 60 (FIGS. 2 and 14) serving as the connection means for connecting the two tanks 36 and 20 to one another. The structure for valve 38 in FIG. 14 will be identical to that described in connection with the valve of FIG. 2. Note that support 61 in FIG. 2 could represent the tank wall 20 of FIG. 14 at the point where boss 60 is connected to tank 20. Obviously, the operation of the arrangement of FIG. 14 is identical to that described in connection with FIG. 1.

FIGS. 15 to 17 show the manner in which the single-pole device of FIG. 14 can be arranged in a three-pole installation. Thus, a support base is provided which consists of steel upright beams such as beam 301 to 304 which carry a horizontal platform truss 305. Platform 305 then supports the bases of six spaced insulator columns, such as columns 306 to 309 in FIGS. 15 and 16, where each of the six columns support a single unit consisting of a high-pressure container 36 and lowpressure container 20, of the type shown in FIG. 14. Each two adjacent containers are then connected in series, shown by the series connection of terminals 310, 311, 312 and 313 for a first phase in FIGS. 15 and 17. Similarly, the remaining phases will have two series connected systems, providing a total of four breaks for each phase.

Insulating columns 306 to 309 are hollow tubes and convey high-pressure gas, as well as elongated movable operating rods to their respective tanks to provide the requisite gas pressure and operating mechanism for each of the interrupters. The bottoms of the insulators are suitably pneumatically and mechanically connected to a grounded central operating mechanism cabinet 315 which has suitable gas compressor and operating mechanism therein.

Diagonal insulator support columns, such as columns 316 to 324 provide mechanical rigidity to the long insulator columns such as columns 306 to 309, which may be about l2 feet high for a power system having a maximum line-to-line voltage of 242 kv. Obviously, the voltage of the system can be increased by increasing the number of series connected interrupter units, and by increasing the height of insulating columns 306 to 309.

FIG. 18 shows a modified arrangement for the structure of FIG. 14 which permits a decrease in the horizontal dimensions of the low-pressure tank 20 of FIGS. 1 and 14 to 17. Thus, the interrupter chambers 20 and of H0. 18 are disposed in a V relation, thereby permitting a smaller width low-pressure tank 350. The structure of FIG. 18 is otherwise similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 14, with a suitably modified operating mechanism used to move contacts 27 and 28.

Although this invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, it should be understood that many variations and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, and, therefore, the scope of this invention is limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A live tank high voltage gas circuit breaker comprising, in combination:

a. a first elongated conductive container filled to a relatively low pressure and having a pair of cooperable contacts disposed therein;

b. first and second terminals extending from said pair of cooperable contacts;

c. a second and at least partly spherical container having a source of relatively high pressure connected to the interior thereof;

d. a hollow cylindrical sleeve coaxial with a diameter of said second container and connected between said first and second containers; said hollow cylindrical sleeve joined to said first container at a central axial position thereon;

. blast valve means within said hollow cylindrical sleeve for pneumatically connecting the interior of said second container to the interior of said first container when said blast valve means is opened;

. means mechanically connecting said blast valve means to said pair of cooperable contacts whereby said blast valve means is opened while said pair of cooperable contacts disengage one another;

g. and insulation post means connected to said second container at a region thereon diametrically opposite said cylindrical sleeve for holding said second container at a given insulated distance above ground level.

2. The circuit breaker of claim 1 which further includes a second pair of cooperable contacts connected in series with said pair of cooperable contact and said first and second terminals; said blast valve means being further connected to said second pair of cooperable contacts thereby simultaneously to operate said pairs of cooperable contacts; said pairs of cooperable contacts being disposed symmetrically around a center line through said second container.

3. The circuit breaker of claim 1 wherein said blast valve means comprises a generally cylindrical housing having a centrally restricted section of constant internal diameter and top and bottom sections having internal diameters greater than said diameter of said centrally restricted section, a hollow elongated sleeve movable along the axis of said generally cylindrical housing; said hollow sleeve received in gas sealed relation by said constant diameter section; first and second sealing rings conforming to the shape of the top and bottom end, respectively, of said hollow elongated sleeve; said first sealing ring fixed in said top section of said housing and aligned to receive the upper end of said hollow sleeve and to seal across the top of said sleeve when said sleeve is moved upwardly; said second sealing ring fixed in said bottom section of said housing and aligned to receive the bottom end of said hollow sleeve when said sleeve is moved downwardly; said first and second sealing rings lying in parallel planes spaced from one another by a distance greater than the length of said sleeve; and first channel means connecting said low-pressure region to the interior of said top section externally of the periphery of said first sealing ring; and second channel means connecting said high-pressure region to the interior of said bottom section externally of the periphery of said second sealing ring.

4. The device as set forth in claim 3 which includes an operating rod connected to said sleeve and operable to move said sleeve along its axis and between sealing engagement with respect to said first and second sealing ring.

5. The device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said sleeve has radially inwardly extending arms connected to a hub; said operating rod connected to said hub.

6. The device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first and second sealing rings are connected to said housing by respective radially outwardly extending arms defining gas passages exteriorly of the periphery of said first and second sealing rings. 

1. A live tank high voltage gas circuit breaker comprising, in combination: a. a first elongated conductive container filled to a relatively low pressure and having a pair of cooperable contacts disposed therein; b. first and second terminals extending from said pair of cooperable contacts; c. a second and at least partly spherical container having a source of relatively high pressure connected to the interior thereof; d. a hollow cylindrical sleeve coaxial with a diameter of saId second container and connected between said first and second containers; said hollow cylindrical sleeve joined to said first container at a central axial position thereon; e. blast valve means within said hollow cylindrical sleeve for pneumatically connecting the interior of said second container to the interior of said first container when said blast valve means is opened; f. means mechanically connecting said blast valve means to said pair of cooperable contacts whereby said blast valve means is opened while said pair of cooperable contacts disengage one another; g. and insulation post means connected to said second container at a region thereon diametrically opposite said cylindrical sleeve for holding said second container at a given insulated distance above ground level.
 2. The circuit breaker of claim 1 which further includes a second pair of cooperable contacts connected in series with said pair of cooperable contact and said first and second terminals; said blast valve means being further connected to said second pair of cooperable contacts thereby simultaneously to operate said pairs of cooperable contacts; said pairs of cooperable contacts being disposed symmetrically around a center line through said second container.
 3. The circuit breaker of claim 1 wherein said blast valve means comprises a generally cylindrical housing having a centrally restricted section of constant internal diameter and top and bottom sections having internal diameters greater than said diameter of said centrally restricted section, a hollow elongated sleeve movable along the axis of said generally cylindrical housing; said hollow sleeve received in gas sealed relation by said constant diameter section; first and second sealing rings conforming to the shape of the top and bottom end, respectively, of said hollow elongated sleeve; said first sealing ring fixed in said top section of said housing and aligned to receive the upper end of said hollow sleeve and to seal across the top of said sleeve when said sleeve is moved upwardly; said second sealing ring fixed in said bottom section of said housing and aligned to receive the bottom end of said hollow sleeve when said sleeve is moved downwardly; said first and second sealing rings lying in parallel planes spaced from one another by a distance greater than the length of said sleeve; and first channel means connecting said low-pressure region to the interior of said top section externally of the periphery of said first sealing ring; and second channel means connecting said high-pressure region to the interior of said bottom section externally of the periphery of said second sealing ring.
 4. The device as set forth in claim 3 which includes an operating rod connected to said sleeve and operable to move said sleeve along its axis and between sealing engagement with respect to said first and second sealing ring.
 5. The device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said sleeve has radially inwardly extending arms connected to a hub; said operating rod connected to said hub.
 6. The device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first and second sealing rings are connected to said housing by respective radially outwardly extending arms defining gas passages exteriorly of the periphery of said first and second sealing rings. 